The Huntresses of Mordor
by Vanguard523
Summary: (Sequel to The Wraith of Remnant.) Team RWBY has saved Haven Academy but after chasing after a White Fang spy, they encounter an object that sends them somewhere where one person waits, a memory long forgotten, but soon remembered.
1. Horrible Hosts

"What the heck was that?" Blake inquired to her team as they found themselves seemingly falling through nothing before crashing onto the hard, dusty ground.

"I have no idea." Weiss declared, standing from her position and giving Ruby a helping hand.

"Could that weird statue have something to do with it?" The little Reaper offered, giving her partner a smile of thanks.

"Maybe Rubes. I don't know what to really believe anymore." Yang said in a cryptic tone.

Her sister had to give her that. After discovering that the Maidens and Relics were true, reality and fiction became a blurred line.

"Where are we?" Ruby inquired to no one in particular as she took in her surroundings. The ground was nothing but rocks and dirt accompanied by a few bushes; there were a few wooden structures nearby and in the distance, a colossal tower with walls surrounding every direction.

"Maybe they can give us information." Weiss piped up, pointing to a group of three figures approaching from a cloth tent.

As they got closer, the girls could see they weren't your average soldiers and when they got very close, discovered they couldn't be human at all! Grey skin, hideously long teeth, contorted faces and clad in basic armor consisting of a shoulder pad and leather waistcloths.

"Good." One of the monsters snarled, his very voice like sandpaper on each of the girls' ears. "We're going to eat well tonight, boys!"

What happened next was a blur to everyone involved. Each of the things drew a crude blade, the one in the middle let out a shriek only for a piece of **very** sharp metal to pierce through his skull in the shape of a small trident. His head was then pulled off his torso and yanked backwards. While the other two took in the sight, a savage blade cleaved one of them in half as his blood splattered over the last one and as he ran, had a small object hit his back and engulf him in flame and he screamed in pain as his skin turned from grey to black.

"Maggots." A deep voice grunted. The four girls turned to face their mysterious savior who wore heavy armor; a metal chest plate that covered his entire body along with metal boots carrying a jagged spear and massive shield while a mask with the image of a skull adorned his face. "Mordor's not fit for pinkskins. What are you doing here?"

The four of them could only stare as half a dozen of the same beasts stood beside the newcomer. "I'm sorry, where are we?" Ruby asked curiously.

"How do you not know where you are, you stupid shraks!?" One shouted. "These ones are even dumber than the others!" He declared, turning to the armored one. "We should just cook 'em up and have ourselves a nice meal. No need to tell the boss right?"

Within an instant, the masked one swept out his legs from under him with the butt of his spear and with his shield, repeatedly bashed his stomach until the creature was halved and the ground was drenched with black blood.

"LET ME BE CLEAR!" He demanded, turning to the rest of them. "The boss says we don't kill pinkskins and he's saved me more times than I can count so if I hear any of you globs even thinking about disobeying him, you'll receive the same treatment. UNDERSTOOD?!"

His thundering voice echoed across the air as each of the remaining five nodded quickly. He then turned back to the stunned girls and shook his head. "You really don't know where you are?" They shook their heads in unison. "Fine. Follow us and we'll see if the boss can get you sorted."

Tentatively, the four girls could only obey as they kept a tight grip on their weapons and the creatures formed a triangle around them as if to protect them as they walked towards the fortified tower.

"What are these things?" Weiss whispered.

"I don't know. But until we know where we are, we don't have much of a choice other than to go along with them." Ruby answered.

"Whatever happens though, we stick together and keep each other safe, just like we always have, right?" Yang asked with a small smile, looking towards Blake who nodded back as the others gave their quiet affirmation.

The fortress got much larger as the group approached. From atop the battlements, a voice shouted: "It's Destroyer, open up the gates!" And sure enough, the doors slid open swiftly.

The group walked through and the large one dismissed his followers as he led the girls through the massive area. What they saw, heard and smelled was enough to terrify anyone else though.

Screams of pain echoed off the brick walls of the many buildings, a voice that sounded like it wanted to end repeated the phrase; "I never wanted the fort, just keep the bloody fort!" One beast stood on a machine that spun with deadly spikes protruding from it and shoved another into the blades, turning the air black as the gruesome squish haunted the girls' eardrums. The smell of blood, maggots and rotting flesh was enough to make one vomit and Blake had gagged more than a few times while Weiss gently rubbed circles along her back.

After what seemed like an eternity, they arrived at another set of gates leading to a set of stairs and their savior stopped them at the entrance to the tower.

"Make any moves against him and if he doesn't kill you, I will. You've been warned." He declared, his eyes burning with malice. Each of them merely nodded in reply and he pushed the large doors open and climbed the short steps to a massive throne room accompanied by fires burning in each corner of the room and the stench of rotting flesh.

"I thought I asked for no disturbances." A voice declared, hunched over a table with several scraps of paper on it, adorned in a pitch-black cloak.

"My apologies, my lord." The beast declared, kneeling.

"Oh, it's you, Destroyer. Very well, give me a report."

He quickly stood and appeared to stumble over his words before being interrupted.

"Where is Daz?"

"Still searching, sire. He retreated after The Pretender mocked him about being unable to protect Bruz."

"Any casualties?"

"Az-Bror took a club to the ribs but he's still moving. No one dead aside from a lot of his troops though."

"Hmm." The voice muttered. "Tell Slayer and Scorpion to set up checkpoints along the roads, but stay away from Shelob's cave."

"Yes, my lord."

A moment passed. "Was there anything else?"

"Y-yes sir. These four pinkskins were lost and ambushed by the Dark Lord's soldiers. I made sure they were unharmed."

"Very good, Destroyer. I'll assign more troops under your command. You can take your leave now."

The beast nodded and left, the large doors making a loud _clang_ behind him.

The voice let out a huff and turned around with arms crossed. "A decade later and we finally meet again. It's been quite a while, ladies."

The four raised their eyebrows and took in the man's appearance. Clothed in darkened armor with a hood covering his head, although his face had been disfigured with blackened veins and red glowing eyes, Ruby still recognized the smirking bearded face.

"I-you-is-is that really you, Tal?"


	2. New Allies

"Good to hear you haven't forgotten my name, Ruby." Talion declared with a nod. "Weiss, Blake Yang. Good to see you all again."

Realization descended like a meteor on the other three girls as they remembered the man with extraordinary powers entering their world.

Yang then stepped forward. "What are you doing leading these horrible creatures?" She calmly demanded.

For the first time in years, the revenant laughed. "You've changed a lot, Yang. When I first met you, you would've struck without a second thought, a lesson I assume you learned from whatever caused you to lose your arm." He gestured toward her with an open hand.

The fiery blonde lowered her head and breathed deeply. "Yes. Now will you please answer my question?" She deadpanned.

"It's a rather long story, but I'll give you the short version. These creatures are known as uruks, the larger ones known as ologs, and they respect nothing but power." He then closed the distance between them and showed the ring on his left hand. "They respond to the ring. I have to lead them in order to stop the rest of this world from being overtaken by Celebrimbor and Sauron, the two beings who want to see free will and diversity wiped from the history books."

They could only gaze in awe at the red glowing piece of jewellery as he showed it but Weiss soon recovered and had a myriad of questions.

"When you came to Beacon, Professor Ozpin lied about who you were, didn't he?"

"You mean Ozma?" The reply received looks of confusion as he smirked to himself knowingly about what the Palantir had shown him and nodded. "Still as sharp as ever, Ms. Schnee."

"Just Weiss is fine." She declared with a small smile.

At the statement, Talion raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because when we first spoke, you would accept nothing less. It appears your heart has been warmed by those around you."

She blushed slightly and looked away while Blake grasped her shoulder before turning back to him.

"You also said once that your worst injury was having your throat cut. How did you survive that?" The cat-girl inquired.

"I didn't." He replied quickly. "I was raised from the dead by Celebrimbor who years later, betrayed me. This ring is the only thing keeping me alive right now. In a few years, I will join the Dark Lord's ranks and do his bidding."

Team RWBY was in shock. Everything they thought they knew about him was a lie. Well, not completely. In one sense, he was a general and from a land very far away.

"Is that also why your face the way it is?" Ruby quietly asked, which received a quick nod in reply.

"It is a sign of The Dark Lord's corruption. My soul will be completely corrupted by darkness, but until then, I have to buy time for Middle Earth."

A long silence followed. "So… you're fighting a war you can't win to stop the rest of your world from being conquered by a single ruler?" Weiss clarified.

"Yes. There is no way I can stop."

"But what about yourself, Tal? Aren't you tired by this point?" Ruby piped up.

He chuckled to himself and looked away. "Sacrifices must be made. One life in exchange for millions, there's no choice there." His gaze then returned to the girls and he motioned for them to follow. "Come. We'll continue this conversation outside."

They followed and were greeted by an olog with his limbs painted blue clothed in armor similar the girls had already first observed.

"What is it, Ur-Hakon?" Talion asked dismissively.

"The troops are wondering why you are meeting with more of your people. They suspect they might see themselves replaced by a Gondorian garrison." The war-troll whispered.

Talion's gaze remained forward as he led the girls to an empty building beside the citadel tower. "Summon The Pretender and tell him to do what he loves. Put the potential traitors on display for the rest of them to see and tell him he can do whatever he wants. Quick, bloody deaths or slow, agonizing ones. Whatever it takes to keep them from rebelling."

"At once, sire."

As the hulking uruk lumbered away, team RWBY exchanged concerned looks. "Don't you think you should be paying more attention to lifting the morale of your soldiers rather than executing them?" Weiss offered.

Talion opened the door to the small building and entered. "No, I've found that my captains are far more skilled at keeping them under my control than I am. I only have to focus on paying close attention to my captains, as they are stronger, faster, tougher and more brutal than the rest. Tell me Weiss, which is stronger; the mountain or the many trees that surround it? Will the wind knock down a mountain? Has a mountain ever flooded before? How many people does it take to topple a mountain versus a forest?"

"He's right." Blake pointed out, to the shock of everyone. "He's been here way longer than any of us so I don't think we should be dictating how he runs things."

"Thank you." Talion said with a nod and a smile. "So, this is where you will be staying." He gestured with an open hand.

The dwelling was a single room with wooden floors, brick walls with a single small window and a small fire pit in the middle while four beds adorned each corner. "I realize it's probably not what you're used to, but it's still better than what most grunts get and it keeps the smell out."

"Do we have to worry about being killed in our sleep?" Yang joked.

"Yes, thank you for reminding me. I will assign my personal bodyguard to protect you when you sleep. His name is Tuka the Destroyer, the same one who brought you to me. Loyal to the grave and back, that one." He declared. "Now, the next order of business will be getting each of you home to Remnant."

"Yeah, we've got a lot of stuff to take care of back home." Ruby announced. "Any ideas to send us there, Tal?"

The newest Nazgul hummed in thought for a moment. "I have a fortress in Seregost that houses several masters of the arcane. If anyone can get you home, it's them."

"Well then, let's get going." Yang said eagerly.

Talion shook his head. "No, the journey is long and you'll need all the strength you can muster. I suggest you sleep here for the night."

The blonde could only sigh in resignation as she sat on the bed. "Can you at least tell us a little bit about Mordor?" Weiss pleaded. "If we want to survive, it sounds like we'll need all the information we can get."

"There's the heiress I remember." He declared with a chuckle. "Very well, Mordor is a land of death, war and suffering. Nothing good ever comes out of this place. To the west lies Gondor where most men live and the only thing separating the two lands is Minas Morgul, my own fortress garrisoned by undead uruks. The denizens of this place include caragors, ghuls, graugs, drakes and of course, The Dark Lord Sauron. As I'm sure you've noticed, my uruks are not entirely loyal to me, but to Sauron, they will kill themselves and their brothers if he willed it. If given the chance, he will enslave all of Middle Earth without a second thought. Thankfully, he lacks the current power to take physical shape but his eye burns atop Barad-Dur, watching over his dominion."

"Does that mean we have to watch out for him?" Blake inquired.

The question received a no in reply. "I would only advise that no one look at his eye for very long. Even his gaze is able to corrupt the purest of souls."

"Got it, don't look at the big ball of fire in the sky." Ruby affirmed.

"Exactly." He declared with another nod. "I'm afraid I have some things to attend to overnight. Tuka will accompany you everywhere you go so no other orcs will bother you. feel free to roam the fortress, but be very wary about leaving the walls. I'll see you in the morning, ladies."

With that, he departed and closed the door, leaving the team alone.

Silence followed for a long while. "Can we still trust him?" Weiss asked.

"Well, if what he told us is true, it's either trust him or try and get home on our own in a place we know nothing about." Blake pointed out.

Another silence.

"Should we take a walk? I don't know about you guys, but I don't like just sitting around." Yang declared.

Everyone silently agreed and Ruby opened the door to see the group's savior leaning against the wall of the building, shield and spear on his back cleaning the triple-tipped blade that looked to be chained to his back with a dirty rag. "Heading out?" The bulky uruk asked, which received a nod in reply. He dropped the rag and walked beside Ruby as the secondary gates opened. "Might be a good idea to stick together, pinkskins." He whispered.

They heeded his advice and crossed the bridge, clumped fairly close together as the walked.

Blake heard the rattling of a metal cage and suddenly diverged from the group, an action that nobody aside from Tuka noticed. "Hey, I said stay together!" He shouted. "Shrak." He turned to the rest of them. "Come with me."

Blake rounded the corner and saw a beast resembling a large wolf aside from rather stubby tail attempting to break from it's confines. Upon seeing her however, it calmed and ceased growling, looking at her with almost pleading eyes.

As the rest of the group caught up with her, Tuka was in shock. Why was the caragor acting so calm around the black-clothed one? Usually the beasts would swipe at anyone, including his lord, who passed by.

"Blake!" Ruby shouted. Both Blake and the beast turned towards her and it growled once again.

The cat-girl turned back to the creature and kneeled to meet its gaze. "Hey, it's okay. She's my friend." The caragor actually obeyed her and relaxed significantly, still keeping an eye on Tuka, who slowly walked beside Blake.

"How'd you do that?"

"Do what?"

Through the holes in his mask, the uruk gave her a confused look. "Make the caragor calm down. Usually they try to kill everything around them."

"Have you ever thought that it's because you keep them locked up in cages?" She asked as her hand made its way through the gaps in the steel to pet the beast.

Tuka was about to object until the caragor actually purred and melted into her touch. "You're no normal tark, are you?" He inquired.

She gave a huff and nodded. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

The rest of the team then asked if they could also pet Blake's newfound friend and Tuka gave a wary yes. It seemed that the caragor was only okay with the touch so long as Blake kept talking to it or kept a hand on its side.

 _It listens to her better than any of our beastmasters_. Tuka observed. After giving the beast a goodbye, the group continued through the fort. They passed by an execution in progress by The Pretender, and had to avert their eyes from the sight. Not because of the deaths of the four uruks on their knees, but rather by the sight of The Pretender himself. The grisly armor that dug under his very skin and pried his lips apart was haunting to say the least.

The sound of a projectile flying across the air echoed off the walls of the fort and all four girls ducked while Tuka chuckled as his gaze turned upward to The Bow of Morgoth who began reloading his crossbow from the wall.

"Trouble?!" Tuka shouted?"

"Nothing more than a patrol!" The ancient orc replied.

As their protector ascended the stairs, team RWBY followed and took a long look at the surrounding landscape. A lone soldier attempted to retreat after seeing his friends slaughtered with a single bolt to the head, but shared the same fate as The Bow fired another shot and embedded itself in the back of his skull.

"Good shot." Tuka observed. "Another slow day, Ogg?"

"Yes, rather boring today." The other declared. "No chances to break my previous record though."

Ruby perked up at the statement. "What record?"

Ogg's gaze shifted to the red-caped girl. "You are an old friend of my lord."

Tuka stood between the two with a threatening gaze towards Ogg. "They are under my protection. Our lord says-"

"I know what he said." He interrupted. "I'm not worried about being replaced, Destroyer. How in the name of Morgoth is he going to gather an entire garrison of men from Gondor and get them to cross Mordor without being killed? Some of the others have the same theory, but they are also unable to think." Ogg scoffed. "And to answer your question, tark, the record is my longest shot. From here to that tower." He pointed and well over two kilometres away lay a thin but tall tower burning blue instead of red.

Ruby decided to take what Talion had told her and put it into practice. _They respect nothing but power._ "I bet I can beat that." She declared, deploying Crescent Rose and anchoring it on the fortress wall before taking aim at one of the so-called uruks that fought below the tower he'd pointed at.

"Which ones do I shoot?" She asked, not wanting to take out one of Talion's soldiers.

"The red ones." Tuka replied, crossing his arms and marvelling at the large weapon she brandished. If she could make this shot, she'd surely earn Ogg's respect as a fellow marksman.

She aimed her rifle-scythe at one of the figures and breathed deeply. They were engaged in sword-to-sword combat, very close together. She had to make sure to make this one shot count.

Then, as an orc with a blue sash shoved his attacker away and prepared to strike, Ruby fired.

The shot was **very** loud to the nearby uruks and Ogg observed as the Dark Lord's soldier began to swing his blade, only for his head to explode into black paste.

Ruby collapsed her weapon and rested it back onto the holster before turning to the astonished uruks to her left.

Tuka held in his amazement as best he could but Ogg soon turned to a neutral expression as he addressed the girl. "What is your name, pinkskin?" He demanded.

"Ruby." She answered, attempting to conceal her timidity with confidence.

He nodded back. "Ruby." Ogg whispered. "I am Ogg, The Bow of Morgoth and I would like to express my admiration of your skill. You truly are a sharpshooter better than myself." He extended his hand for a shake and Ruby returned the gesture.

"Very well Ogg. Keep practicing and maybe you'll be better than me." She came back, hoping the phrase wouldn't anger him.

He laughed back and nodded. "I guess I'll keep practicing then." With that, he picked up his crossbow again and scanned the ground for any of Sauron's troops.

Tuka directed the girls towards back inside the fort and guided them towards the arena, remembering to give his lord a detailed report by the day's end. _One controls beasts better than our greatest beastmaster and another fires farther than The Bow himself. What other talents do these seemingly harmless tarks have?_ He wondered, looking to Weiss and Yang.

They continued to proceed through the base until they finally arrived at the fighting pits where a battle between a half a dozen of Sauron's orcs versus an uruk named Zugor Quick Blades was taking place.

All four girls marvelled at the masterful display of combat as the uruk dual-wielded blades adorned in a curved, heavy helmet that obscured all but his eyes, nose and mouth clothed in spiked leather armor.

They surrounded him and attacked in sync, forcing him to roll under the swords before rising with a slash that severed an uruk's arm and Quick Blades stabbed him in the heart with the other.

As their comrade collapsed, some began to panic while two attacked simultaneously. Zugor batted away one sword with his own, held the other in place with both and kicked its wielder to the ground before beheading the first attacker with both swords.

The remaining four attacked one at a time and were cut down faster than team RWBY thought possible for someone without a semblance. The uruk ducked and opened his first opponent's stomach, dodged a downward strike with a roll and cut off a leg as he did. Another downward blade was met by Zugor's swords and a head butt which considering the look of that helmet, looked devastating as he stumbled back and the last enemy met his death by four slashes to the chest; two horizontal and two vertical which removed his arms.

Then, turning to the still dazed final opponent, Zugor sheathed his swords, drew two curved daggers from his hips and sprinted past the uruk and put a gash in his side that bled badly. Along with the dropping of a sword, the strike was met by a scream of pain and five more lethal attacks. Zugor rolled over his opponent's back and put two more wounds in as he moved before a slash to each leg and finally, jamming both blades into his chin.

Some of the other observing uruks actually grimaced as Zugor forced his prey on his knees and pushed on his daggers until the flesh from the neck and torso ripped apart. Quick Blades held the head above his own and swiftly removed the daggers and sheathed them as the crowd roared in a bloodlust haze.

"He's fast." Yang observed with crossed arms.

"There's a reason he was born with the name Quick Blades." Tuka chimed in.

"Let me have a go at him."

Tuka's head snapped to the blonde brawler. "My duty is to protect you, not to get you killed." He deadpanned. "Zugor has decimated every opponent thrown at him, including a score of ologs! If I let you fight him, he will kill you."

Yang sighed. "Fine."

Tuka nodded in satisfaction and turned back to the arena where Quick Blades was just exiting. A sudden shout brought him back to reality.

"Quick Blades!" Tuka turned and saw that the golden-haired girl had disappeared from his side into the arena.

 _Well, it was nice to serve my lord._ He thought resignedly.

"How about you take on someone better?!" She shouted.

Zugor turned and cackled. "Your funeral, pinkskin!" Without warning, he drew both swords, sprinted and slashed at her ribs.

Yang was slightly faster however, and sidestepped out of the way. Intrigued, Zugor then raised his swords and brought them both down, attempting to sever her arms.

The resounding sound of metal on metal echoed throughout the fort as Zugor's blades came down and struck…his attacker's arm?!

Yang had blocked the strike with her prosthetic limb and launched a punch at Zugor's stomach with her left fist. He stumbled back as Yang readied Ember Celica for the next assault with steely lilac eyes.

Zugor was still in shock that this human had a metal arm. He didn't think they did that. _No matter, she'll die just as fast as the others._ He thought, shaking his head. He aimed to cleave her in half with a cross slash but she leapt into the air and stomped on his head.

Zugor recovered quickly and as he rolled, Yang's metal fist collided where his spine had been a moment ago.

The observing audience had quieted down significantly as Yang and Zugor engaged in the longest fight the uruk arena had ever seen.

Yang's strategy was to wear him down and go all out when an opening presented itself and after half an hour, he started to signs of exhaustion.

Dodging another diagonal slash, she knocked the blade away with her artificial arm shockingly easy and she lay into his stomach, landing four strikes in less than half as many seconds. She then seized his arm, spun him around and cloths lined him with her metal arm, leaving him coughing for breath on the ground.

The entire arena was silent, the uruks astonished that someone had bested the greatest fighter they had ever seen and RWBY afraid to break the silence.

Zugor managed to kneel as Yang towered over him and without meeting her gaze, spoke.

"Go on then, do it. Kill me and earn your name as the one who slew me, pinkskin." His voice dripping with defeat.

She shook her head and instead offered him her organic limb. In that instant, his gaze flew from the ground to her hand before landing on her face contorted in a smirk.

"No, you gave me one hell of a fight. We'd be unstoppable if we teamed up."

A single chuckle echoed off the walls of the pit, evolving into laughter, and not the sadistic or maniacal kind.

Zugor grabbed her hand and she heaved him onto his feet. He grinned at her and held out his hand for a shake. "Well met, slayer. The name's Zugor-Quick Blades. If you ever want to take down a captain together, let me know." He said with a genuine smile.

She shook it back and returned the look. "Yang Xiao Long. I'll hold you to it, Quick Blades." She declared, clapping him on the shoulder as she turned towards her teammates and their guardian.

Silence was still present until Tuka chuckled silently and tapped the butt of his spear on the wood. The sound was made a few times before another uruk began beating his chest plate and another stomped his boots. Eventually, the entire fort was overrun with the sounds of cheering and applause in the form of metal on various surfaces.

Zugor grabbed Yang's wrist and held it above both of their heads, basking in the glory of their battle.

It took a long time for the crowd to quiet down enough to where Yang could regroup with her team and when she did, she half expected Tuka to start bellowing at her when instead he nodded and said nothing.

"That's it? Not gonna tell me how I should've stayed with you and stay safe?"

He laughed. "Girl, you just had the greatest fighter in this fortress bow to you. I have a feeling word will spread and safety won't be so much of an issue anymore.

They continued to walk throughout the fort, much more spread out than when they started as some uruks gave silent nods of respect to Yang and Ruby.

All progress ceased as Tuka froze and in front of him stood The Pretender, or Pretenders?

With the shield on his back and pike in hand, there stood five of him; one true, the rest illusions.

"You tarks may be fast, accurate and strong, but are you intelligent?" His horrid voice echoed out. "Which is the true Tower?"

All of them carefully scanned the five figures and after a minute, The Pretender laughed his haunting laugh. "As I thought. The uruks are the superior race, surpassed by none."

With that, all five began to turn, but the Schnee ex-heiress drew her weapon, formed glyphs around four of them and bombarded them with ice shards.

A single figure remained and his pried lips turned upwards. "Impressive. How did you see through my trick?"

Weiss stepped forward and sheathed the rapier. "Your bracers have seven blades that dive into your skin. The others had six."

The remaining four sets of eyes expanded. _Such a minuscule difference, how could she have possibly spotted it? Also, what was that magic?_ Tuka wondered to himself _._

The Pretender grunted. "I will have to make an adjustment then. Until next time, fellow trickster." He then strode off without another word.

"The Pretender, The Bow, Quick-Blades and the caragors." Tuka declared.

"What was that?" Ruby inquired.

"Those are the ones you have earned the trust of this day." He clarified. "If any of you find yourself in harm's way, they will be the ones to help. Any other uruk will merely let you die."

The four girls took his words to heart. Survival was the only thing they needed to worry about at the moment and any assistance would be much appreciated. The sun began to set and the four unanimously decided to call it a night.

When they got back to their abode, what awaited was a pile of meat and a fire. They talked throughout the evening, unaware of the uninvited guests making plans in another building closer to the exterior gate.


	3. Road Block

The next day, team RWBY awoke and began cooking the rest of the meat.

"So, how'd you guys sleep?" Yang inquired to her team.

Blake stretched her arms over her head and sighed. "Not bad, heard some weird noises in the night though." She stated.

The rest of the team exchanged strange glances. They had all heard odd sounds in the dark, but thought of it as the nightlife. "Maybe it was just the animals?" Weiss offered.

Everyone silently agreed and soon finished eating, after which they armed themselves for the day.

What greeted them outside was…interesting to say the least. Eight shredded bodies hung by their necks over the gate, swinging in the wind as some still bled.

A sudden scream of pain instantly wiped the sleep from the four girls' heads as they simultaneously exited the gate to witness another execution in progress.

The Pretender, Ogg and Zugor towered over four uruks on their knees facing the small crowd.

"I thought our soldiers were loyal, Quick-Blades." Ogg seethed.

"As did I, Bow. I believe those who fail to follow the master's orders are to be put to death."

"And be replaced by pinkskin cowards?!" One kneeling orc shouted.

The Pretender and Ogg exchanged vile looks and The Pretender kneeled next to the shouter. "You wish to be free?" He hummed in his ear.

The uruk nodded.

"Very well." The Pretender then cut his binds. The uruk began sprinting off into the distance across the bridge but before he could even get halfway, Ogg fired a bolt into his skull.

"TRAITORS NEVER LIVE!" Zugor bellowed. "That is why the rest of the day will be spent dragging out the deaths of these shraks."

A heavy hand found its way to Ruby's shoulder and the team turned around to see Tuka standing there.

"What'd they do?" The youngest of the group asked, gesturing to the kneeling orcs.

"They conspired to kill the four of you in your sleep. Zugor, The Pretender and Ogg ambushed them in the night and disposed of their friends."

Weiss opened her mouth to question further, but Tuka turned on his heel and gestured for them to follow into the keep. They then climbed to the top of the tower where Talion awaited, riding a massive winged beast with four small saddles on it.

"Good morning, ladies. Climb on and we will be on our way to Seregost. Tuka, ensure Brain-Biter does not fall."

"Of course, my lord." He declared with a nod as the girls carefully navigated the beast's spiky back with Blake being the only one able to sit on the saddle without irritating the dragon-like creature.

After they had all mounted, the beast took flight and the five of them were on their way to the snow-covered territory.

As the weather got significantly colder, Ruby noticed Talion tense up but paid no attention to it. The fortress then came into view and as they flew overhead, a crossbow bolt zipped by the dragon's head. Talion immediately veered away from the massive encampment and landed on the frozen lake and disembarked.

Without waiting for his order, the girls did the same as they rubbed their hands together in an attempt to keep warm.

Ruby made sure her team was fine then turned her attention to her ancient friend. His back was turned and as she approached, could practically feel his rage.

"Tal?" She quietly called.

No response.

"What happened? Why didn't we land at your fort?"

A minute passed before he spoke. "My forces let it fall back into Sauron's hands. My overlord is captured, most warchiefs dead, all bodyguards executed."

The four exchanged troubled glances. Without the sorcerers, they had no way back to Remnant.

"The time it will take to assemble a proper force will take a year at least." Talion growled between his teeth as he drew his sword. "No better time to start than now."

"What if we helped?" Ruby asked. "How long would it take if we fought with you?"

The new Nazgul stopped and thought. From what Tuka told him, Blake was a keen beastmaster, Ruby a masterful marksman, Yang a proficient slayer and Weiss an intelligent trickster. If they liberated two more captains and his previous overlord, then… yes… that would work nicely.

"You wish to help with the siege?" He repeated.

Ruby looked to her team, who all nodded back with strong resolve and the little reaper turned to Talion and nodded as well. "Yes. Whatever it takes to get us back."

"Very well. If this is to work, we have to move fast, which means splitting up. I suggest Yang and Weiss go in one direction while you and Blake move in another, Ruby."

Considering he was a good friend and a skilled commander, the reaper decided against questioning him.

"Now my captains will be cautious of you, as they are of anyone. If any uruks hesitate to attack you, they are most likely still loyal to me. However, any uruk that wears Sauron's colors will not show mercy or attempt to negotiate To make sure the ones clad in blue are friendly, speak the phrase; 'The Bright Lord is gone, only those he slew remain' and they may join us. Understand?"

Ruby chuckled. "Not really. But if it'll help, then we'll do it. Right guys?"

"Oh yeah." Yang declared.

"Indeed." Weiss piled on.

"Absolutely." Blake finished.

"Excellent. Now Yang and Weiss, head through those caves until you come out the other side and find an execution in progress. The one you will be rescuing is an olog named 'The Dragon'. His armor is adorned with razor spikes and he bears three scar marks on his face and body. You will know him when you see him. Kill his executioner, cut his binds and speak the phrase and follow him until I retrieve you."

The yellow and white clad girls nodded and quickly hugged their teammates before obeying Talion's orders.

"Now Ruby and Blake, follow that path uphill until you come to a tower with a blue flame and search for an uruk trying to break caragors. His name is Death-Bone and he is about to be attacked by another one of Sauron's captains. Find and recruit him before the other captain does and speak the phrase. I must save my overlord from the outlaw tribe's forces."

"So you'll come and get us after Yang and Weiss?"

Talion nodded. "Then we can begin the fortress assault and we'll return you home."

"Okay. Let's do it." Ruby declared, turning to Blake with an enthusiastic smile, which the faunus returned.

Talion then moved on his own path and Ruby couldn't help but worry. Killing grimm was easy, they were big, slow and stupid. These monsters however, were the same height as them, smarter than a beowolf and faster than a taijitu.

This was a whole new level of combat.


	4. Preperation

Yang and Weiss were glad to be in the caves, away from the frigid air.

"Still think the dress was a good idea?" Yang playfully jabbed the ex-heiress, who rolled her eyes with a smirk.

"The weather in Atlas is actually much worse." She chuckled back. "Still though, a jacket certainly wouldn't do any harm."

Yang began to give her coat to the pale girl, but Weiss stopped her. "Yang, I'll be fine." A moment of silence followed as they walked. "Thanks though."

The two shared a smile before exiting to the icy air once more to an open, snow-covered field with buildings long since destroyed.

"Tal said we'd find an execution, right?" Yang inquired.

"Yeah, but all I see is a bunch of ruins. I say we keep our voices down and get a vantage point."

Yang nodded as Weiss made steps up to a hill with her glyphs. As they crouched, Yang suddenly seized her teammate's arm and pointed to where a battle-scarred olog was chained to the floor of a ruin, hands bound together as another uruk surrounded by his own soldiers equipped with a darkened sword riding a caragor stared him down.

"So, Az-Rans. Not so tough now that your boss is gone huh?"

The olog grinned sadistically. "Unchain me and we'll see whose head adorns the fortress walls, Hosgrish."

The other uruk dismounted and went face to face with the large orc. "You and I both know that you'll rip me apart if I give you the chance. Which is why, after I'm done with your pathetic crew, this blade will find your heart!" with that, he slammed his fist into the olog's skull, triggering maniac laughter from the olog.

"Pain is **my** domain, fool!" Hosgrish shrugged off the comment as he drew his blade and stabbed the first of The Dragon's forces.

"That looks like the guy Tal described to us." Yang declared as Weiss agreed with a nod.

"And judging by how much he's agitating his executioner, we don't have much time."

A silent exchange took place as Yang leapt to the ground and Weiss headed up to eliminate any uruks up in the towers.

Hosgrish's gaze turned to the young woman calmly striding towards him. What started as a chuckle turned in breathless laughter. "You really think you're going to do anything?!"

Yang said nothing, merely watched as four shields closed ranks around him and Weiss silently killed archer after archer, giving the blonde her cue to deal with the remaining grunts. With a shot from Ember Celica, she lit one of the shields aflame, sending its bearer into a panic as he stumbled into the others, diminishing their protection.

Annoyed, Hosgrish shoved past his soldiers as his caragor leapt at Yang. She braced for the impact of the beast, only to find that Weiss had summoned a beowolf to duel the caragor in a frenzy of gnashing teeth and razor claws. The rider slashed horizontally and Yang jumped back. She retaliated with a strong left hook that was subsequently countered by a dodge and a slash to the limb. When steel met steel, Hosgrish was stunned as Yang's cybernetic arm struck him in the chest sending him backward.

"Dumb pinkskin. Metallic arms don't have the same flexibility as your own."

"You'd be surprised." She retaliated as the two fought back and forth.

Once Weiss was satisfied Yang could hold her own against the executioner, she took the opportunity and killed the bodyguards with a series of lightning slashes. She then moved to the trapped olog who struggled against the chains. She made eye contact as he grinned like a psychopath at her. "The Bright Lord is gone, only those he slew remain." She said quickly.

The smile disappeared from The Dragon's face as Weiss froze his binds. With a mighty jolt, the metal shattered from his wrists as he sprinted towards Hosgrish with a terrifying war cry and tackled him to the ground, the black sword being sent flying into the snow.

Az-Rans beat his captor relentlessly with his fists until he failed to stand. The olog retrieved the sword that was promised to kill him and he snapped it in half before retrieving his own weapon and beating his captor's skull until there was nothing but black paste embedded in the snow. He turned towards his rescuers and spoke. "So he sent you to retrieve me? Very well. I will gather my soldiers." With that, he took off back into the caves.

"So…I guess that was a successful mission?" Weiss inquired.

Yang shrugged back. "Who knows? We did everything Tal told us to do. Now I guess we just find a secluded spot and wait for Tal to come get us." Weiss nodded back and the two ascended the cliffs to a spot untouched by any form of life and sheltered from the cold winds by the mountainside.

"I wonder how Ruby and Blake are making out." Weiss wondered aloud.

* * *

Ruby silently followed her teammate's lead as the two snuck around an uruk patrol and continued their uphill trek until the two huntresses came to a flat area with a tower adorning a blue flame at the top along with several ruined stone walls scattered around.

"This is the place, right?" Blake asked her leader.

Ruby could only shrug back. "Beats me. Tal said to look for that tower and his guy would be nearby trying to break…"

"Caragors." Blake interrupted, pointing to a group of the beasts idly hunting for food, one of them adorning an entirely white coat.

As the two observed, all six beasts' heads snapped up as a horrifying roar emanated from behind a ruined wall. Ruby began to sprint to the corner of the cover as Blake followed closely. Both peered around to see an uruk clad in a chestplate, bracers, shoulder plates and a mask, all of which appeared to be made of bone as he carried a sheathed sword at his waist.

The faunus and reaper looked at each other. "That him?" Blake whispered.

"Your guess is probably better than mine." Ruby replied with a sigh. "But he does fit the description Tal gave us so…"

She was interrupted once again by a vicious voice. "Death Bone! My spies tell me you're still loyal to your master, but tell me; where was he when we strangled your brother and fed him to our caragors?" The antagonizing voice came from an gap in the mountain where an uruk who looked exactly like The Pretender carrying the same weapons emerged with a squad of his own soldiers in tow.

Ruby and Blake exchanged concerned looks as the two captains clashed and the same thought crossed their minds.

"Isn't that one of Tal's guys?!" Blake whispered concernedly.

The younger one bit her lip as she thought before shaking her head a moment later. "No. Tal's guy is miles away from here. There's no way he could get here on foot in that amount of time with all this terrain in his way. That must be his doppelganger."

Blake thought for a moment before rationalization descended. They couldn't hesitate much longer as it appeared that Death Bone's forces were fighting a losing skirmish. The Faunus nodded back and they rushed in where Death Bone had been knocked down by a shield-bash from his ambusher and a sword was descending on his skull from one of his followers.

A shadowed figure entered his vision as Blake cut the attacker in half with Gambol Shroud before unsheathing the dual swords as Ruby helped Death Bone to his feet before deploying Crescent Rose.

The Pretender look-alike laughed menacingly as his remaining followers flocked to his side. "Mankind will **bow** before the dark lord's will. It is my duty as The Tower to carry out his sentence." He then raised his pike and the remaining half-dozen soldiers rushed to the girls as Death Bone strode toward his nemesis.

Blake waited until two blades were close to her before activating her semblance and augmented with ice dust, froze their blades solid. She then dealt with the last one with a slash to the arm with the smaller blade and a deeper cut to the neck with the larger sword.

Ruby made her form lower and fired, using the momentum from the shot to knock all her enemies on their backs with the blunt end of her weapon and preformed a downward strike with the scythe on an uruk's heart, killing him instantly.

Blake's remaining opponents were dealt with easily, one intent on retrieving his sword until Gambol Shroud found his heart while the other resorted to fists, which ended in a severed arm and a bullet in the skull.

Her team leader dealt with the last two easily, flying into the air with her semblance, firing a shot through one's shoulder, heart and leg while cleanly bifurcating the other using her razor scythe. They turned their attention to Death Bone, who was roaring violently at the top of his lungs as with both hands, he gripped his sword and relentlessly assaulted The Tower's shield, forcing him to the ground ever so slowly until the metallic safeguard could take no more and shattered. The Tower defiantly swung his pike at his assailant but was stopped. The long reach of the weapon meant it was useless at close range without a barrier and Death Bone stomped on The Tower's arm before dropping his sword and slashing at his face with his signature Feral tribe gauntlets ceaselessly until the life left his body.

Breathing heavily, the masked uruk stood, grabbed his blade, raised it and Ruby went into panic mode. "The Bright Lord is gone, only those he slew remain!" She shouted quickly.

He seemed to relax, returning to a neutral stance and lowering his blood-soaked sword.

He then approached the nearby caragor pack, mounted one and rode off where Ruby and Blake came from.

"So… mission accomplished?" Blake more asked rather than stated.

Ruby could only shrug in reply. "I guess so? I mean… he's not dead. We should probably get somewhere safe. How about the top of that ruin? We won't be covered from the wind, but they won't be able to see us." Blake followed her leader and the two waited for their friend to retrieve them.

Ruby then hugged her knees to her chest as a grimace skimmed her face, an expression that didn't go unnoticed by her teammate.

"Hey, everything okay?"

The little reaper sighed. "It's just... I'm not using to killing something so..."

"Human?" Ruby nodded back as Blake sat next to her leader. "It's starting to hit me too. At least the Grimm look and act like soulless animals. But these things have personalities, voices, and emotions. I don't know how to feel about this."

"I guess we just have to trust Tal about what he says about these things and how they want to see humanity wiped out."

Blake opened her mouth to agree but the sounds of combat reached her ears. Shouting, steel on steel, and the terrified calls of help from the uruks. The two girls watched as Talion, in his darkened armor and black cloak scaled a tower a mile into the sky within seconds before teleporting to the top of the ruin next to them.

"Thank you for saving my captain. Are you both prepared for the siege?"

"Where are Yang and Weiss?" Ruby asked.

"Safe. Awaiting my and your arrival with my army at the fortress gates."

The two exchanged determined looks as Ruby spoke again. "Let's take that fort back."


End file.
